Ex-Oldham star Reuben Hazell told how he went to the dressing room and spoke to Tom

Oldham defender Tom Adeyemi, 20, broke down on the pitch during his team’s 5-1 FA Cup defeat to the Reds after an alleged racist taunt was hurled at him from the Kop on Friday.

After the match, sources say he told team-mates: “I couldn’t see who it was but someone shouted black bastard and black c**t.” Adeyemi later gave a statement to police.

A source close to his club said: “Tom was upset and angry over what was said. He’s adamant he was called black this and black that.”

Ex-Oldham star Reuben Hazell told how he went to the dressing room and spoke to Tom.

He wrote on Twitter: “He said he was racially abused. That is FACT.”

Liverpool FC and Merseyside Police are investigating the incident. Yesterday they were quizzing witnesses and scouring TV footage in an attempt to see what sparked Adeyemi’s tears.

One witness told the police and club officials: “The No.11 turned to walk away after a tackle. I heard a single voice shout ‘You f**king black bastard’. He spun round and started pointing at the crowd.”

Last night Liverpool FC said: “We take this matter extremely seriously and have today provided the police with the evidence we currently have available to us.”

The new race storm comes after Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was hit with an eight-match ban for racial abuse.

Meanwhile a man was arrested yesterday after ex-Liverpool striker Stan Collymore went to police over racist Twitter taunts.